CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — University of Illinois Extension will offer 10 in-person Certified Livestock Manager Training workshops throughout the state, beginning Jan. 18 in Effingham, and concluding Feb. 23 at Illinois Pork Expo, Springfield. These workshops provide Illinois livestock producers the training they need to meet the state’s Livestock Management Facilities Act (LMFA) requirements.
The LMFA requires facilities designed for 300 or more animal units to have at least one employee certified in proper manure handling procedure. Facilities designed for 301 to 999 animal units must have at least one employee attend a workshop OR complete the online training. Facilities with more than 1,000 animal units must have a certified livestock manager attend a workshop and pass the IDOA exam, or complete the online training and pass the online test.
Registration is required. To register for a workshop, visit go.illinois.edu/CLMT. Registration will be open one month prior to the workshop date, and class size is limited in some locations. All participants are required to wear a mask in order to comply with COVID-19 safety precautions.
2022 CLMT workshop dates and locations are:
- January 18, Effingham County Extension Office, Effingham
- January 19, St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, Nashville;
- January 20, Clinton County Extension Office, Breese
- February 1, IDOA Building auditorium, Illinois State Fairgrounds, Springfield
- February 2, U of I Extension Pike-Scott Farm Bureau Building, Pittsfield
- February 3, Warren-Henderson Farm Bureau Building, Monmouth
- February 15, Livingston County Extension Office, Pontiac
- February 16, DeKalb County Farm Bureau Building, Sycamore
- February 17, Stephenson County Farm Bureau Building, Freeport
- February 23, Bank of Springfield Center, Springfield.
Each workshop will begin at 9 a.m., except the Feb. 23 session at the Illinois Pork Expo, which will start at noon. The training lasts 3.5 hours, and the Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDoA) will administer the exam after the training. The U of I Extension training fee is $40, and IDOA’s certification fee is $30. The training manual used will be the “Livestock and Poultry Environmental Stewardship Curriculum.” It is available at go.illinois.edu/manual.
The certification test has been updated. For the 2022 season, there will be 50 questions on both the paper-based and online tests. An individual must answer 70% of the questions correctly to pass. A Spanish version of the test will be available soon.
Cannot attend a workshop? Online training and testing are available year-round and follow the same format as the in-person workshops. Online training involves nine modules of 10- to 20-minute videos that can be viewed at an individual’s own pace. Those who have more than 1,000 animal units may take the test online. Multiple attempts on the online test are allowed.
To create an account and access online CLM training, visit go.illinois.edu/CLMT
We kindly ask all participants to register online. If you have any questions about the CLMT program, please contact Nesli Akdeniz at neslihan@illinois.edu or (217) 300-2644.
— University of Illinois Extension